Adjustable tension roll holder



Feb. 23, 1965 J. w. KENNEDY 3,170,652

ADJUSTABLE TENSION ROLL HOLDER Filed May 28, 1962 FIG! .1 .2

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FIEZE INVENTOR.

Jbmv Alla/4M Mum/say Jinan/6y United States Patent 3,17 0,652 ADJUSTABLE TENSION ROLL HOLDER John William Kennedy, 1833 Plymouth Road 5-,

, Minneapolis, Minn.

Filed May 28, 1962, Ser. No. 198,132 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-552) The present invention relates generally to an improved adjustable tension toilet paper roll holder.

This invention embodies a method of adjusting a frictional force which, when applied through a frictional body, will produce resistance to the rotation of a toilet paper roll holder. The frictional body is further described in a co-pending application filed November 4, 1960, Serial No. 67,203. Said co-pending application does not include the adjustable force feature that is the primary subject of this application.

It is a specific object of my invention to provide a toilet paper roll holder with a simple means for adjusting the resistance to rotation of such a holder when held in a support.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein'like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a. vertical sectional view of a roll of toilet paper in position on my holder;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

-A conventional toilet paper housing is shown having support means such as trunnion elements 10 to carry a roll holder H' in rotatably mounted position, and a roll of toilet paper having an inner core 11 is shownfor purposes of illustration.

The toilet paper roll holder H includes a pair of cylindrical telescoping hollow elements 12 and 13 of substantial length to pass through and with the end portions protruding from the core of a roll of toilet paper 11. Said elements 12 and 13 are hollow for a substantial length along said telescoping axis. 'The outermost end portions 14 of said elements are closed and reduced in diameter to form anabutting shoulder 15 and centering pilot 16 at the respective outer ends. Said end portion 14 serves further to close said hollow portion and form an inner end normal to the telescoping axis. A pair of friction elements 18 and 19 abut against said shoulders 15 and are received in pressed fit relation on said centering pilots 16. 'Each of the friction elements 18 and 19 and the respective pilots 16 has suitable means such as the slot and fixed key arrangement 16a for positively preventing relative rotation therebetween. Each of the friction elements 18 and 19 has a thickness greater than the length of the centering pilot extension 16 as to abut against said shoulder 15 and extend beyond the end of such pilot 16. The outer diameters of the elements 18 and 19 are slightly greater than the outer diameters of the adjaceint end portions of said telescoping elements 12 and 13. Said outer diameters of said friction elements 18 and 19 are of a size'to be received by a trunnion member 10 of a conventional toilet paper housing and the material thereof is designed to produce frictional resistance to rotation when pressed against the respective inner surfaces of the recesses of the trunnions .10.

One end of the inner telescoping element 12 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the receiving element 13 as to be slidably received therewithin as illustrated in FIG. 2. The other end portion of the inner element 12 has an outer diameter of substantially the same size as the outer diameter of receiving element 13 as to form an abutting shoulder at the juncture of the two diameters 20. Similar end portions of elements 12 and 13 will allow interchangeability of the friction elements 18 and 19 therebetween.

A spring element 21 is provided to be received in the hollow section and abut against said closed end of said inner element 12 and is of substantial length to exert a longitudinal force upon said outer element 13.

An adjustment element 22 is designed to be threadably received by the convolute portions of said spring element 21 and is provided with a means to rotate said adjustment element 22 into and out of threadable engagement with said spring'element 21. Said adjustment element 22 abuts against the inner closed end of said outer telescoping element 13. Said spring element 21 and said adjustment element 22 are reversible within said hollow enclosure.

A pair of angularly ended cross arms 23 and 24 are fixedly attached to the respective telescoping elements 12 and 13 normal to said axis thereof and in inwardly spaced relation to the ends of said element. Said cross arms have a length slightly longer than the nominal diameter of the core of a toilet paper roll 11 and the ends are beveled, producing sharp corners 23a and 24a. The length of said arms 23 and 24 serves to slightly distort said core and engage the sharp corners 23a and 24a with the inside of the core 11 to positively prevent relative rotation therebetween.

The endmost convolute segment 21a of the spring element 21 is axially compressed into engagement with the adjacent'convolution to increase the frictional resistance to rotation between the spring and the adjustment screw 22. It will be apparent from. FIG. 2 that the pitch of the threads on the screw 22 is approximately one-half of the pitch between the convolutions of the spring, and the diameter of the wire forming the spring is such that it will permit substantial meshing with the engaged thread convolutions of the screw. The interference produced by the compressed end 21a and the difference in pitch between the screw threads and the spring convolutions serves to frictionally lock the screw 22 in the desired axially adjusted position whereby the-degree of compression and hence the force exerted by the spring can be accurately controlled, thus permitting accurate control of the frictional resistance to rotation produced by the ends of the friction members 18 and 19 in the recesses of the trunnions 10. I have-found that the screw may be easily turned within the spring by'gripping the end portion of the spring'which surrounds the screw and applying inward pressure to the spring convolutions.

In operation thereof, one end of the'spring element 21 and adjustment element 22 mounted in the other end thereof respectively engage the closed ends of the hollow members 12 and 13 which transmit axial force to the friction members 18 and 19. Such force operates to produce the desired resistance to rotation, thereby preventing relative movement of the friction members in the recesses of the trunnion members 15.

When the paper has been removed from the roll 11, the telescoping roll holder H is telescoped by exerting a force along the axis of said spring 21 and the holder is removed from the tr-unnions 1% in the conventional manner. The used core 11 is removed from its position on the positioningarms 23 and 24 and a new core 11 placed thereon. The spring member 21 is then compressed and the holder H replaced between the trunnion elements 16. a

To adjust the frictional force' exerted upon the trunmay be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportion of parts without departing from the scope of my invention, which generally stated consists in the matter set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An adjustable tension roll holder for toilet paper rolls and the like comprising a pair of spindle receiving trunnion members, means supporting said trunnion mem bers in spaced-apart relation, a roll-journalling spindle assembly including a pair of telescopically received hollow elements with a longitudinally expandable spring element slidably confined therewithin, an adjustable element received within one end of said spring element and adjustable longitudinally thereof to vary the compressive force exerted by said spring, friction means on the outer ends of said telescoping elements responsive to the force exerted by said spring for thefrictional resistance to rotation exerted thereby when received in said trunnions, a pair of arms fixedly attached to said telescoping element sand extending therefrom, and means for positively preventing relative rotation between the telescoping elements and the core of a paper roll mounted thereon.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and the element receiving end of said spring element having its endmost convolute axially compressed against the adjacent convolution, said adjustable element having screw threads thereon, the pitch of said threads being substantially less than the pitch of the convolutes of said spring element, said compressed end and pitch variance combining to produce interference between said spring and adjusting element and prevent relative rotation between said elements.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2, having the inner diameter of the spring element substantially the same as the outer diameter of said adjusting element as to produce interference therebetween and preventrelative rotation of said element when adjusted to a predeter mined position.

4. An adjustable tension roll holder for toilet paper rolls and the like comprising a pair of spindle receiving trunnion members, means supporting said trunnion members in spaced-apart relation, a roll-journalling spindle assembly including a pair of telescopically received hollow elements With a longitudinally expandable spring element slidably confined therewithin, an adjustment screw threadably received within one end of said spring element and adjustable longitudinally thereof to vary the axial force exerted by said spring, friction means on the outer ends of said telescoping elements responsive to the force exerted by said spring for the frictional resistance to rotation exerted thereby when received in said trunnions, and a pair of arms fixedly attached to said telescoping elements and extending therefrom, said arms being of total length slightly greater than the nominal diameter of the roll of paper and having gripping ends to positively hold the core and spindle assembly against relative rotation.

5. An adjustable tension roll holder for toilet paper rolls and the like comprising a pair of spindle receiving trunnion members, means supporting said trunnion members in spaced-apart relation, a roll-journalling spindle assembly including a pair of telescopically received hollow elements with a longitudinally expandable spring element slidably confined therewithin, an adjustable element received within one end of said spring element and adjustable longitudinally thereof to vary the compressive force exerted by said spring, friction means on the outer ends of said telescoping elements responsive to the force exerted by said spring for the frictional resistance to rotation exerted thereby when received in said trunnions, and a pair of arms fixedly attached to said telescoping elements and extending therefrom, for positively preventing relative rotation between the telescoping elements and the core of a paper roll mounted thereon, said arms being of a length slightly greater than the nominal diameter of the roll to be placed thereon, said arms having ends with sharpened corners to positively engage the core of the roll of paper placed thereon.

6. An adjustable tension roll holder for toilet paper rolls and the like comprising a pair of spindle receiving trunnion members, means supporting said trunnion members in spaced-apart relation, a roll journaling spindle assembly including a pair of telescopingly received hollow elements with a longitudinally expandable spring element slidably confined therewithin, said spring element having its endmost convolute axially compressed against the adjacent convolution, an adjustable element having screw threads thereon receivable Within the compressed end of said spring element and adjustable longitudinally thereof to vary the compressive force exerted by said spring, friction means on the outer ends of said telescoping elements responsive to the force exerted by said spring for the frictional resistance to rotation exerted thereby when received in said trunnion; a pair of arms fixedly attached to said telescoping elements and extending radially therefrom and means for positively preventing relative rotation between the arms and the core of a paper roll mounted thereon.

Referenees Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,045,311 Moberg Nov. 26, 1912 1,420,403 Bash June 20, 1922 1,578,888 Ganong et al. Mar. 30, 1926 3,051,404 Ritchey Aug. 28, 1962 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE TENSION ROLL HOLDER FOR TOILET PAPER ROLLS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPINDLE RECEIVING TRUNNION MEMBERS, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID TRUNNION MEMBERS IN SPACED-APART RELATION, A ROLL-JOURNALLING SPINDLE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A PAIR OF TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVED HOLLOW ELEMENTS WITH A LONGITUDINALLY EXPANDABLE SPRING ELEMENT SLIDABLY CONFINED THEREWITHIN, AND ADJUSTABLE ELEMENT RECEIVED WITHIN ONE END OF SAID SPRING ELEMENT AND ADJUSTABLE LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF TO VARY THE COMPRESSIVE FORCE EXERTED BY SAID SPRING, FRICTION MEANS ON THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID TELESCOPING ELEMENTS RESPONSIVE TO THE FORCE EXERTED BY SAID SPRING FOR THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE TO ROTATION EXERTED THEREBY WHEN RECEIVED IN SAID TRUNNIONS, A PAIR OF ARMS FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO SAID TELESCOPING ELEMENT SAND EXTENDING THEREFROM, AND MEANS FOR POSITIVELY PREVENTING RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN THE TELESCOPING ELEMENTS AND THE CORE OF A PAPER ROLL MOUNTED THEREON. 